The invention relates to pick-up truck bed or open bed vehicle caps or cover specifically to a retractable or convertible rigid cap. Pick-up truck bed covers have evolved from tarps (soft cover) to the modern version of today's fixed position rigid or hard truck bed covers. Modern hard caps are made from rigid materials such as fiberglass, metal, aluminum, etc. that is formed to produce a fixed and predetermined size and shape. Hard covers also provide the benefits of rigid material such as longevity, protection and security. Tonneau covers as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,173 James A. Nett (2000) as seen FIG. 2 are made from rigid material and offer limited truck bed convertibility. The tonneau's ability to cover the truck bed is limited to the height of the truck bed rails thus limiting vertical height and greater square foot coverage.
Hard caps are fixed features that rise above the bed rails to provided greater square foot coverage. In order to have the truck bed covered the hard cap must be attached onto the bed rails of the truck. The opposite is true to expose or open the truck bed to the elements the cap must be totally removed and placed aside. The modern hard cap available today is a fixed object which is either on or off of the truck bed in order to obtain the desired effect of an enclosed or open bed which is a great inconvenience for the user. To try and solve this problem as seen in hinged cap invention U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,777 Cleo S. Swenson, Robert D. Grove and Clinton E. Grove (1990), as seen in FIG. 1 offers the user the ability to raise one side of the cap vertically from the truck bed rail. This hinged cap offers multiple access to the truck bed but still does not offer true convertibility to a complete or partial covered bed without removing the cap from the truck itself. To provide true truck bed convertibility a device would need to provide the desired open or enclosed truck bed space without compromising available or usable truck bed and bed floor space with the parts or function of the device.
The collapsible enclosure as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,136 John W. Martin and Judith T. Martin (1986) provides a partial truck bed cover however it is at the cost of available or usable truck bed space. As seen in FIG. 2 during full cap contraction the gate frame and door obstruct and severally limit the full or complete usable truck bed and bed floor space unless the gate frame and door are removed and placed aside. As seen in FIG. 9 the bed floor may be accessible by the opening of the door however the door would unrealistically need to remain in open position while traveling in order for full bed usage when the apparatus is in the complete contracted position. Furthermore the gate frame assembly must be removed and adjusted each time the apparatus is moved to a fixed or partial covering of the bed. The gate frame assembly as seen in FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 12 in itself does not permit normal and full bed usage at any position and would have to be totally removed for full and normal bed usage thus deleting its purpose. As seen in FIG. 1 there is also no provision for adjusting vertical height, the side wall of the cap are fixed and therefore cannot rise vertically to provide additional variable vertical space.
Furthermore the layered affect caused by the ability to extend and collapse or contract causes each successive portion of the cap to be smaller in dimension than the former section as seen in FIG. 1. There is no embodiment or provision for a smooth outer surface and thus providing an equal interior covering dimension for each extending cap section.
The track as seen in FIG. 5 for which this particular apparatus moves on the bed rails is complicated and dependent on a cable for manual movement. The tracks are not simply a guide to shuttle the apparatus to a collapsible or extended position instead the tracks are a complicated propulsion and motion system.
A further limitation for this apparatus is that the nearest section to the truck cab is fixed and unable to have the ability to freely extend and contract as the other following sections and this also does not provide the user to reverse the extension and contraction process to be from rear to front of the truck bed, should the user prefer. Also this apparatus has no provision for vehicle accessories that are common and needed on trucks such as truck bed tool boxes and roof racks. In conclusion this invention only provides manual operation and the restrictions of the apparatus described above complicate and only provide at best partial bed use unless portions are totally removed and there is no provision or embodiment for side walls to extend and contract vertically thus providing adjustable vertical height. Furthermore there are no provisions or embodiments that offer equal interior dimensions or smooth exterior surface because of the extending and contracting nature of the apparatus.
Other inventors have tried to be less complicated and provide the versatility of converting the truck bed to be open or enclosed without having to totally remove the cover from the truck bed. Inventions such as retractable soft covers are available as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,921 Elizabeth R. Hal (1998) FIG. 2. However soft covers are inferior to rigid material because it does not offer adequate protection, security or longevity, etc. but it does offer the ability to cover the truck bed above the height of the bed rails.
In conclusion, insofar as I am aware, no rigid cap extending above the bed rails formerly developed provide the ability to manually or through power means convert the truck bed from partially or completely open to partially or completely enclosed without the defect of having to partially or totally remove the cap from the truck bed and without compromising or obstructing available and usable truck bed and bed floor space, there are also no provisions for adjustable vertical height.